The President of Portugal Declares Education “essential public good” Este elemento no está disponible en Español.Está disponible actualmente en Inglés, Francés. 11-10-2005 - Invited to UNESCO for the 33rd session of the General Conference, the President of Portugal, Jorge Sampaio, on October 11, made a vibrant plea for education which he called “an essential public good,” adding, “there can be no sustainable development, or security without education”.

In his address to the representatives of the Organization’s 191 Member States, the Portuguese President stressed the need to provide “quality education, including human rights education, which is a pillar of educational policies aimed towards the development of understanding and of international solidarity”. In this regard, he praised the determining role played by UNESCO in the definition of goals for Education for All (EFA) and asked the Organization to fight for the implementation of the EFA programme which is “a priority for good global governance”.
Mr. Sampaio also called on the international community to protect “the plurality and diversity of cultural identities, when organizing events”.

It was in this context that the Portuguese President called for the promotion of dialogue between civilizations, cultures and religions. “History has taught us that this dialogue is necessary, possible and fruitful. But it also shows us that it is not easy and that, if it is not taught and nurtured, it will give way to monologue or silence,” which, he said “almost always allows dangerous extremist attitudes and fanatic pulsations to ferment”.

Considering that languages are an integral part of cultural and national identity, President Sampaio underlined the importance of protecting them. He concluded his speech by addressing the issue of multilinguism and asked UNESCO to reinforce its cooperation with the Community of Portuguese-Speaking Countries (CPLP), consisting of eight UNESCO Member States located on several continents, and as such, capable, he said, of acting as a “laboratory and of hosting innovative experiments in the field of multilingual protection”.

Following his address, the President of Portugal and the Director-General had a meeting during which Mr. Sampaio awarded Mr. Matsuura the Great Cross of the Order of the Infante Dom Henrique, one of Portugal’s most prestigious awards. It is named after the great 15th Century Portuguese navigator and son of King Joấo. The President said the distinction was meant to pay tribute to the Director-General’s commitment to UNESCO’s ideals and to the determination with which he carried out his mission. Mr. Matsuura said he was proud to receive the award, adding that, through him, it was UNESCO as a whole to which the distinction was awarded.

During an official lunch following the ceremony, discussion centred on bilateral cooperation between UNESCO and Portugal as well as between UNESCO and the CPLP countries. The President asked the Director-General to participate in the opening of the Conference on Artistic Education scheduled for next March in Portugal. The Director-General accepted the invitation. The lunch also allowed members of the President’s delegation to meet with UNESCO’s leadership with whom several avenues of cooperation were discussed.

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Fuente	Flash Info n°174-2005